Hunter and Hunted
by LoveBetweenLionsandLambs
Summary: The lands beyond the Great River were home to many dangerous creatures, and none were more feared than the man-eating naga. The worst was the King Naga, two-headed monsters that devoured humans and naga alike. For those who called the jungle home it was eat or be eaten, survival was a challenge. For a human girl, banished for the crime of witchcraft, it was a death sentence.
1. Prologue

"You have been accused of the crime of witchcraft," bellowed Lord Xemnas. The whole village had gathered for the trial. Xion stood in the center of the mob, all eyes on her as the elders decided her fate. "And are hereby judged guilty!"

"No!" cried Xion, but he continued on as though she hadn't spoken at all.

"Silence, abomination! You are unnatural, and were never meant to exist! As such you are not welcome among us. Because you are a monster I sentence you to exile in the Serpent's Jungle beyond the Great River. Should you be seen on this side of the river again you will be killed on sight! Now gather what belongings you can carry and get out!"

Xion paled at the sentence. The jungle was not a hospitable place. It was filled with dangerous creatures, including the naga, which was said to prefer to taste of human flesh above all things. Even worse, these lands were home to the giant Tail-Mouthed King Naga. Half naga, half giant serpent, the Tail-Mouths devoured man and naga alike to but nothing could quench their insatiable hunger. How would she survive alone in a place full of monsters?

Of course, the answer was she wasn't supposed to survive. She wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. They wouldn't kill her here, not as first resort, lest her spirit leave some lingering curse. No, they'd let the naga do their work for them. They were sending her to be eaten alive.


	2. Chapter 1

Roxas didn't think he was ready for this. He knew all nagalings had to leave the nest eventually, and at eighteen he hadn't been a child for a long time. Still, he was small for his age and the idea of setting out to face the world alone was frightening. He didn't feel grown up. He had to be: there was no choice. Time to live or starve.

The young naga slithered through the thick jungle, trying to sniff out something to eat, but he'd broken down and cried earlier and his sniffing still sounded more like sniffling and it was hard to catch the scent of anything. He wasn't ready to leave home, and he had no idea how he'd find where he belonged.

Roxas paused, certain he'd heard something. Then he saw it: just ahead the thick tall grass was rustling. Was it prey? Roxas dove in headfirst, and straight into something large, or rather someone large. He looked down to see he had tackled another naga. He stood up quickly, blushing from embarrassment.

The other naga didn't look happy about being tackled, but when the boy realized his mistake, he couldn't help laughing at how red the blond's face was. "You know, I think people normally say sorry in this kind of situation." Axel said as he stood up, brushing some dirt off himself.

"Sorry!" said Roxas quickly. "I didn't mean...uh...I'm new at this whole hunting thing?" He smiled weakly. Then held out his hand. "I'm Roxas." He hoped he hadn't ruined his chance to make a new friend.

"I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" he said as he shook the boy's hand, "So first solo hunt? Exciting. You're pretty strong for someone your size, seems like you'll do okay on your own. Though I'd prefer if you didn't try to hunt in _my _territory."

"This is _your_ territory?" asked Roxas, "oh I'm sorry- uh-again-sorry again." Roxas rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know. I can leave, if you want. I mean, um thanks...for the compliment..." He blushed, "I really don't know much I guess, I didn't even know naga had territory. I've always just wandered around."

"Really? Thats kind of important to know. Could wind up on someone's… bad side, otherwise." Axel said, and for the first time he eyed the boy's tail, but couldn't see the end of it in the thick vegetation. Territories were a habit of king naga. Large appetites meant there was little room to allow others to take prey from your hunting grounds. Some tail-mouth could even be cannibalistic if they were vicious enough or starving.

But the 'lower' species often just settled wherever they pleased if they felt it was safe. There wasn't as much of a need for food when something like a deer could last you more than a month instead of a week or two. Though maybe he was just a runt, Roxas was pretty small, and it wasn't unheard of for one to be a bit neglected in favor of the others that had a better chance at surviving.

"I suppose I could let your little intrusion slide this time, since you didn't know any better." Axel said, as Lea, the serpent whose body started where his bottom half started, began to move his head towards Roxas now, searching for the strangers other head, if there was one.

"Thanks," said Roxas, he smiled, "I don't want to be on your bad side. You're the first new friend I've met."

Axel couldn't help smiling when Roxas did, "Friend?" Axel gave a small chuckle, "A little soon to be calling me a friend isn't it? We've only just met." He wasn't even sure they were the same species. The tail-head's tongue flicked out when it neared Roxas, before playfully nipping at the other's tail.

"Well, I guess, but I'd like us to be - ouch!" Roxas jerked away pulling his tail up, revealing a normal, snake like tail. "Something's down there!"

Axel's face fell when he saw the boy's tail. Well, he guessed he should have seen it coming. His own tail rose, its tongue flicking out again before looking to the other tail's owner as though it was confused.

Roxas's eyes widened, looking between the giant snake's head and Axel. "You're a...you're a t-t-tail-mouthed king naga?" They _ate_ other nagas.

"So, guess we're not gonna be friends then?" asked Axel, as the tail head darted forward, wrapping around Roxas.

Roxas gasped, choking as the serpent squeezed the air from his lungs. "Please," he gasped. "Don't…"

Axel forced Lea to loosen enough for Roxas to breath as the snake-head started to lick at him, "Sorry, Lea got a little over excited." Although his tail had loosened enough for Roxas to breath, the grip remained firm enough to ensure Roxas wasn't going anywhere.

Roxas took a deep breath and sighed, panting. He looked at the snake's head, giggling as its tongue tickled him. Roxas pulled his arms free and reached out to pet Lea. He looked at Axel and smiled, maybe tail-mouthed weren't as bad as he'd heard. "If you're not going to eat me, I wouldn't mind being friends."

Axel was surprised when the small naga giggled at being licked after what had just happened. What a strange kid. Lea on the other hand, was apparently enjoying the attention he was getting from the small naga, nuzzling against the boy as he continued to lick him. "Hm. Maybe. Still thinking about it." Axel shrugged.

"Thinking about eating me or being friends?" asked Roxas, stilling playing with the giant snake, who actually seemed incredibly sweet. "You're not as scary as I thought you'd be, you know."

"Both. Wondering if having you as a friend might be better than a meal. Though you do taste amazing and I am pretty hungry."

"Taste?" asked Roxas, "How do you know?"

"He licks, I taste, and you my dear little one are delicious." He hadn't had a good sized meal in a while, Roxas was small for a naga, but still much bigger than a human or most animals. And the thought of that long smooth tail sliding down his throat… Axel couldn't help licking his lips. Lea didn't appear to be listening to him at the moment though. "So, what did you expect one of my kind to be like?" He asked as he tried to make the tail head stop playing and obey him.

"I thought you'd have killed me instantly," said Roxas, "but Lea's really friendly. So when he licks me, you taste it? Do you feel it when I pet him?"

Axel nodded, "I can feel, taste, and smell everything he does. It's pretty useful sometimes."

"But you aren't the same, he's got a mind of his own," said Roxas, scratching the snake behind his head where an ear might have been were he a dog.

"Somewhat." Axel shrugged, "He can do things without any kind of order from me, but we're still connected and for the most part, I'm in control of us. Though sometimes he won't listen to a damn thing I tell him."

"So you read each other's mind?" asked Roxas, "and he's not thinking about eating me as much as you are?" He hadn't missed the look Axel had given him or the licked lips. "I really don't want to be a meal."

"Nothing ever does. But hey, everything needs to eat, circle of life and all that." Axel shrugged.

"Guess I'm pretty much an ideal meal huh? Easy to catch, big enough to fill you up, but just the right size to fit in your belly." Roxas wasn't really sure what he could say to persuade Axel to spare him. "Guess I'm at your mercy. It's my first time away from home, it's pretty lonely, maybe you're a bit lonely too. If you kept me, neither of us would have to be alone. And since you're probably a better hunter than me, I bet you could find another meal." Axel had said he'd consider it, but Roxas had never heard of a king naga [RV1] befriending another naga. He was Axel's natural prey.

"If you're trying to convince me not eat you, you're doing a pretty poor job." The tail-mouth was practically drooling in anticipation of his meal, "You're a little on the small side for a naga, but you'll fill my belly nicely. And I'm not one to give up a such a tasty and easy meal." Axel licked the boy's cheek, despite Lea's annoyance at his interrupting the petting. "And as nice as being 'friends' sounds, you'd probably try to run away as soon as I left you alone."

A single tear slid down Roxas's cheek. The Tail-Mouth was probably just toying with him. No matter what he did or said, there was no way the predator would let him live. "No- I wouldn't, not if we were friends," he said, "I'd...I don't want to be alone." Didn't Axel understand? If they were friends then he'd stay. Friends didn't hurt each other, why would he run?

"And you want to stay with me?" asked Axel. "Or would you say just about anything to get out of where you're headed?" Axel licked his lips.

Roxas's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going down that easy!" Roxas lashed out, wrapping his tail around Axel's human half and grabbing Lea's head, holding it closed as he unhinged his own jaws and swallowed the snake-tail's head.

Lea thrashed about in panic as he was swallowed, trying desperately to pull himself back out. Axel reacted fast enough to get one arm in position so Roxas couldn't try to suffocate him, at least not as fast as he would have been able to otherwise. Damn, the kid really was a lot stronger than he looked. Still, Axel was stronger, and managed to pull his other arm free, before slashing at Roxas, aiming for his face.

Roxas panicked and he tried to get Axel out of range. He swung his tail hard, slamming Axel into a near by tree. The king naga slumped, and Roxas uncoiled, shifting so that Lea's body wasn't wrapped around him. Roxas paused then, looking at unconscious king naga as his stomach let out a pained growl. If he coiled around Axel's arms and chest, he could hold him still and eat the Tail-Mouth.

And why shouldn't he? Axel would have eaten him. But... Roxas relaxed his throat muscles and spat out Lea. "Sorry about that, buddy," he said, "your other half would have made a meal of me if I hadn't." He reached out and gave the slightly damp snake a reassuring pat, before turning to leave.

Lea hissed at him, not happy with what the naga had done to him or his other half. He nipped at Roxas's tail again, not being playful when he did so this time.

Roxas hissed in pain and pulled his tail away. The tail head hissed again before moving away, coiling around Axel in a protective manner.

"Right, guess we're not friends either, huh?" he asked, maybe he should have just eaten them, but no...it didn't feel right eating another naga. Not for him anyway. He wasn't used to eating prey that could talk anyway or hunting for himself. Still he did need to eat. Better get far away from the tail-mouth's territory as soon as possible. Or at the very least he needed to put as much distance between him and Axel as he could, and hope the king naga wouldn't come seeking revenge.


	3. Chapter 2

In the evening the sky darkened with thick clouds. Thunder rolled at sunset, and Roxas knew he should start looking for a place to seek shelter for the night. He wasn't as far from Axel's territory as he would have liked, it was rough terrain and he'd kept his eyes open for any chance of a meal, but he didn't want to be out at night in a storm.

Lightning flashed and in the light Roxas saw a cave. He slithered towards opening, smiling at his good fortune. Then a mouthwatering scent drifted to him and he licked his lips. There was light coming from inside, and warmth. A warm fire and a nice meal? Maybe his luck really had turned around.

The cave was narrow at first, but widened in the back to reveal a decent sized chamber, there was a hole in the roof, narrow enough for smoke to escape up, but twisted enough that not to much water dripped in, under the hole was a roaring fire, and beside a human girl, about Roxas's size, sat huddled.

The girl looked up from the fire, shocked to see the naga standing in the doorway.

He was between her and the only exit.

Roxas grinned and licked his lips.

She scrambled away, grabbing one of the branches from the pile of firewood and getting to her feet.

"Stay away from me!" Xion yelled as she backed away, wielding the branch like it might as well have been a sword. It was pathetic, she knew, but it was the closest thing she had to a weapon.

"That's a stick," said Roxas. He shot forward, easily coiling around her and wrenching it from her grasp. "You really think it'd do much good?" He tossed it aside. To a naga, humans were laughably weak.

Xion had at least tried to take a swing at him before her 'weapon' was ripped away. She may have been weak, especially compared to him, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to put up a fight.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, despite the fact that right now she was helpless, trapped, and trying really hard not to break down crying. After everything, it couldn't just end with her becoming dinner for some monster.

Roxas smiled, he liked her spirit. She gave a good try at it and even now wasn't begging. Unlike him, he'd been so stupid, asking to be friends, telling a predator he didn't want to be eaten like it would make any difference.

"I can't, I'm sorry it has to be this way," he said, "really."

"You're sorry?" She questioned, glaring at him as tears began to fall from her eyes, "You're going to kill me!" Probably painfully, considering naga swallowed any prey they could whole and alive. "Why… Why does it have to be this way?"

"Cause you're smaller," said Roxas, "and I'm hungry, and I don't want to starve and if I can't catch anything else I - and - oh please don't cry!" He swallowed, he was going to die if he kept letting go of prey. It wasn't like with Axel, Axel was a naga and they'd talked, and Axel would have killed him whereas this human was completely innocent.

"I don't want to die." Xion murmured, though she doubted he would care. No one was going to know what happened to her, but she guessed no one would care either. The is what they expected when they banished her, wasn't it? Xion winced when the naga's stomach growled loudly. There was no escaping this, she was prey cornered and defenseless by a hungry predator.

"Please… just make it quick." She begged, even if he wouldn't care about taking her life, maybe he had some mercy in him. "I don't want to suffer. Please."

Roxas uncoiled, setting her down gently. "I'm sorry," he said, "I- I'll go." He turned and fled, only to be met by a torrential downpour at the front of the cave. He paused, sighed, and sat down near the front, shivering and miserable. He was cold, hungry, and very lonely. He wanted to go home, but had no home now and so far he'd done a terrible job as an adult. Warm tears streaked down his face, and it only made the wind sting more.

It took Xion a few minutes to get over the shock of the naga letting her go. He wasn't going to kill her… She'd always been told a naga would never let a human go once it had them. That they were monsters that would devour a person without remorse. And yet, he'd apologized and released her?

Cautiously, she peered into the tunnel leading out, and saw he was still in her 'home.' Xion bit her lip, still frightened by the naga, but he looked sad, and she supposed she owed him a little something for his mercy.

She gathered some of the food she had stored away, mostly fruits, nuts, and berries, and hesitated before approaching him slowly, "Thank you. For not eating me." She said as she offered him the food, "It's not much, but you can have this."

Roxas looked up at her, wiping away his tears. He looked at the food and smiled. "Thank you," he said, "and you don't need to thank me. I couldn't eat you, not when you were crying like that." He took some of the nuts. "I'm not so good at this whole hunting thing. So uh, this is your cave?"

"Yeah, I've only lived here for a few weeks, but it's sort of nice. Better than being out in the open at least." She said, "I'm Xion, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"My name's Roxas," he said, "nice to meet you too. Could I stay here tonight? It's cold and your fire looks nice."

"Promise not to eat me in my sleep?" She asked, joking a little. She thought, or at least hoped, he wasn't going to try to make a meal of her anymore. "I suppose I wouldn't mind. Honestly it'd be nice to have some company."

"Thanks and I promise, company is nice," said Roxas, "I was kind of hoping to find a friend, though I've been pretty much failing at that too." He got up, and turned back towards the cave's interior. "Why are you out here all alone?"

Xion walked back to the main chamber and sat by the fire. "I was banished from my village." She admitted after a few moments, "It's… a long story." She didn't really want to explain. She might not have known much about naga, but she was certain Roxas would think she was a freak if she told him. Just like everyone else in her village.

"I'm sorry," he said. He didn't want to press her, since she didn't seem to want to talk about it. "My kind leave home once we're old enough. My mom said I was but I don't feel like it. My first attempt at hunting I was nearly eaten by a tail-mouth." Roxas sat by the fire and stretched out his tail.

"Theres a tail-mouth in this area?" Xion guessed that was the 'big snake' she'd heard about, she was glad she hadn't run into it herself. "At least you managed to escape from it. It's hard to make it on your own at first, especially the being alone part, but you kinda get used to it after awhile."

"Well, hopefully I'll be able to find a friend," said Roxas, "I tried to make friends with the tail-mouth, didn't work out so well...heh."

"Yeah, trying to make friends with someone that can eat you probably doesn't turn out well, in most cases at least."

Roxas looked at her and tilted his head to the side. "So you don't think you and I could be friends?" he asked. "I probably seem pretty silly, first trying to make friend with my natural predator and now trying to make friends with prey. I guess it goes with the whole not a great hunter thing, but I'd rather have a friend than a meal any day."

Xion smiled at him softly, "I wouldn't mind being your friend." She admitted, "But you'd probably get tired of having me around pretty quickly. I'm not a great hunter either, I'd just be a burden to you."

Roxas wrapped his tail around her in a light hug. "Well, you don't need to eat as much as I do, and you seem all right at feeding yourself so far. And if I manage to catch something that doesn't talk, maybe I'll be alright." It was easier to look on the bright side now that he wasn't so lonely. "I could have eaten that tail-mouth, you know, and that's something. And… I guess I'm just saying all this because I'd like it if we could stay together."

Xion looked down at the tail wrapped around her, and tentatively ran a hand over the scales. She'd never felt snake skin before, it was nicer than she thought it would be. Soft and silky and really warm. "Really? Sounds like you're not too a bad of a hunter after all if you had that opportunity." said Xion. He just couldn't bring himself to eat anything that could talk to him. "And yeah, I can find fruits and berries well enough, and it really would be nice not to be alone anymore." She smiled at him, "So, would you want to stay here or move farther away because of the tail-mouth?"

Roxas liked the petting, and wrapped his coiled tail around her more snuggly like a hug. "Thanks," said Roxas, "hmm, it would be safer to get away from the tail-mouth, but this cave is pretty nice. What do you want to do?"

"I wouldn't mind either way. But the cave does at least offer some protection, so maybe it would be better to stay as long as we're careful not to run into the tail-mouth." Xion said, "Or maybe just for another day or two, to gather some food and supplies before we set out."

"All right," he said, "lets see about gathering food. One thing's for sure, I need to hunt, I'll do that tomorrow and I'll see about getting something to bring back for you."

Xion nodded, "Thank you, Roxas." She said, leaning over to give him a small kiss on the cheek, "I'm really glad I met you."

He blushed the leaned over and licked her cheek in return, a friendly, playful lick, though he couldn't help notice how good she tasted. He'd definitely need to find a large meal tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

The next day Roxas left early carrying a game bag in case he managed to catch enough to eat his fill and bring extra meat back for Xion. His stomach had to come first though. She could live on nuts and fruits, he couldn't, and hunger made her tempting. Not far from the cave he came across a river teeming with fish, it's shore thick with berry bushes. He usually didn't eat berries or fruit often, but Xion liked them so it would be good to remember this place and they weren't bad.

Roxus used the tip of his tail as a lure and whenever a fish nibbled he pulled it out of the water and flung it onto shore. He swallowed them live and wriggling, gulping down fish as eagerly as a sea bird. In this manner he had a full belly by mid-afternoon and a few fish in the bag. Of course, fishing took time and wasn't nearly as active or exciting as tracking game, so as he sat Roxas ate handfuls of berries out of boredom more than anything.

He wondered if it was just being full, but when came time to leave he felt a bit sleepy, almost like his limbs were too heavy to move. He pulled his tail out of the water and tried to get up only to be hit with a wave of dizziness.

At that moment, Axel had happened to be passing by. And when he saw the boy on the riverbank, he couldn't pass up the opportunity. "Well, well, didn't expect to run into you again." He grinned as he approached the small naga, "Thought you'd be long gone by now."

Roxas eyes widened and he tried to take a defensive stance, or else get ready to run. He'd caught Axel off guard before but he doubted he'd be so lucky this time. However, it seemed moving at all was out of the question. He fell forward, catching himself on his hands. He looked up at the tail mouth, certain he was about to die.

Instead, Axel actually looked concerned, "You don't look so hot, you sick or something?" He asked. Lea came forward to sniff him, before moving past Roxas to sniff at the game bag. Axel looked to Lea, telling him to leave the bag alone, then he noticed the bush on the bank of the river and looked back to Roxas. "Did you eat those berries?"

Roxas shrank back from Lea, surprised the snake didn't attack him. Why was Axel concerned, maybe he was poison if he was… "Berries? Yeah?" Poison. "Am I gonna die?" He sank down on the sandy bank, unable to even hold himself up.

"Man oh man Roxas, didn't you parents ever teach you about this stuff?" Axel sighed, leaning down and picking Roxas up, slinging one of Roxas's arms over his shoulder and putting his arm around the boy's waist. "Don't worry, you'd have to eat the whole bush for it to be lethal to someone your size. You'll be okay, but you're gonna be pretty weak and sick for awhile."

"Aren't you going to eat me?" he asked.

"Nah." Axel said with a small shrug, "You didn't eat me when I was helpless to stop you, might as well return the favor, right?"

Roxas smiled, and tried to thank him but then the world spun and everything went dark.

When Roxas awoke he was somewhere else, laying in a soft bed. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed, but he knew he wasn't alone. He sat up slowly, and looked around. "What happened?"

Axel looked up from the fireplace, and smiled as he slithered over to the bed. Lea climbed up, nuzzling Roxas before resting his head in his lap. "I brought you to my den to recover." Axel said, "How're you feeling?"

"Better," he said, "still weak, like everything's too heavy." It took some effort to reach out and pet Lea, but he did so all the same. "So you've both forgiven me for swallowing him and bashing you into a tree?"

Lea pushed his head against Roxas's hand, "More or less." Axel shrugged, "Still a little sore, but you were defending yourself, so I guess I can't really hold it against you too much. Especially since you didn't gobble me up when you had the chance."

"Well, I'd probably have gotten a tummy ache, you're a pretty big meal," teased Roxas, "besides, Lea wasn't attacking me, he didn't deserve to be eaten." Roxas continued to give him affectionate pets. "So, does mean we're friends, Axel?"

"Really? After everything that happened yesterday, you're still trying to be friends with me?" Axel chuckled, "Alright, I give, we're friends. You seem to need help with the whole survival thing anyway. You're a little hopeless on your own."

"Well you wouldn't have been looking after me like this is we weren't friends," said Roxas, grinning at him, "but I guess you're right. Trying to make friends with a predator, my prey, and eating poison berries isn't the best start, but I held my own against you and that's something, right?"

"Yep. You did something no non-king naga has done before, and thats a pretty big something." Axel smirked, ruffling the boy's hair, "Now, what was that about making friends with your prey?" He raised an eyebrow.

"After I left you I got caught in the storm and took shelter in a cave. I found a human girl there and I was going to eat her, but she...she didn't want to die and she was crying..." said Roxas, and then he looked down, realizing that maybe he's said to much. "You won't eat my friend, will you?"

"Wow. You really aren't off to the best start." Axel said, "And really? I have to take a human off my menu too?"

"Just this one," said Roxas, "she's really nice." He sighed, "And you're probably reconsidering eating me because I'm so pathetic, huh?" He continued to pet Lea for a minute then looked up at Axel and smiled despite himself.

"A little. But I already said we're friends, so I guess I'm stuck with you." Axel shrugged playfully, "But seriously, what kind of training did you even get before leaving home?"

"Hunting animals mostly," said Roxas, "fishing, and I was told the the only thing I should fear were the monstrous tail-mouths that would eat any naga as soon as look at it. Yeah, the berry thing was bad, but we never really foraged so I'd never learned about berries. I mean, I could have eaten Xion if I wanted too, just like I could have eaten you. I just can't bring myself to kill someone who could have been a friend. Especially not after nearly being eaten myself, that was awful."

He'd have to teach Roxas about foraging, he knew what around here was safe to eat or not, and he didn't want the kid accidentally eating something that would kill him. "Monstrous? Thats a little harsh." Axel said as Lea licked the boy's face. "Really, humans could be considered more dangerous than us. At least in large groups, and they usually don't travel without others. What's the story with your little friend?"

Roxas giggled at the licking, yes monstrous and incredibly deadly seemed a bit harsh. "I'm not sure," he said, "she said she was banished or something, I don't know the full story. Hey, how long have I been here, she's probably worried about me."

"A few hours, the sun should be setting soon actually." Axel told him, "You feeling okay to make the trip home? You can stay here tonight if you're still feeling weak."

"Still pretty weak," Roxas admitted, "and your bed is much more comfortable than a cave floor. And big enough to share?"

Axel chuckled, "Sure Roxy, you can st-" He stopped suddenly when there came a noise from somewhere else in his den. Lea hissed and their attention turned to the doorway. "Stay here." Axel told Roxas, before going to check it out.

Roxas didn't have much of a choice but to stay there, since his tail and limbs were still nearly too heavy to move. He felt a wave of warmth at Axel's protective tone. He remembered when Axel had found im, how worried he'd sounded. It seemed Axel had grown pretty fond of him, and the thought of that made the warm feeling grow.

Axel moved as quietly as possible, stopping before he reached the doorway to the main chamber. He told Lea to stay back as he peered out to get a look at the intruder. It was a human girl, armed with a spear that was really more like just a pointy stick. How she had managed to find his home was beyond him, the foliage around his den made that door damn near invisible when it was closed.

Lea hissed again and she immediately looked to where they were, holding the spear defensively. The thought that this might have been Roxas's friend crossed his mind. But even if she was, this girl was an intruder in his home, and he didn't take that kind of intrusion lightly.

The fight was short, in less than a minute Axel had her in his coils, holding her tight enough that she could barely struggle no matter how much she tried.

"You're either brave, stupid, or desperate for coming here armed with nothing but a stick," Axel said in a not so friendly tone, "Now, I have some questions for you, and whether or not you end up as dinner depends on your answers. And if I think you're lying, you'll be taking a one way trip down his throat." He gestured to the snakehead, "Got it memorized?" Lea's tongue flicked out to taste her, and the girl flinched away before nodding.


End file.
